New Look, Same Great Taste

Happy Monday everyone. You probably noticed a few new things at In Jennie's Kitchen. Let me give you the grand tour. For starters, I finally got around to designing a logo. That's my chicken pot pie gracing the top of the page. Isn't it beautiful? It tasted just as good, and I'll be posting the recipe soon.

There's also a new events page, so check back often for tasty things to do in and around NYC. I'll be at the Big Apple Barbecue here in town this coming weekend. I'm already drooling thinking about the falling-off-the-bone ribs I'll be digging into. This July will welcome the first issue of my monthly newsletter. Sign-up here and get exclusive newsletter-only recipes, product reviews and tips delivered via email. Oh, and after all the virtual cocktails and snacks we've enjoyed, how well do you really know me? Learn how I got cooking in the first place here.

There's lots more to sample at the new and improved In Jennie's Kitchen but one thing that remains the same is my goal to always make cooking fun and delicious. Every holiday, my mom jokes we should start the meal with dessert first, so this week, instead of cyber champagne to toast the redesign, I'm serving up some strawberry shortcakes. If you're visiting your local farmer's market, don't forget to pick up some spinach—we'll be making Spanakopita later this week. Enjoy!

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Strawberry Shortcake, Cream on Top

as featured on the Cuisinart Stand Mixer Blog

by Jennifer Perillo

I’ve been all about strawberries ever since our season here in NYC started a few weeks ago. There are jars of ruby red jam strewn about the kitchen counter, they’ve been sprinkled over buttermilk pancakes, and then there’s the yummy snack of a handful of berries between meals.

Growing up my mom used to make a quick dessert by topping individual store-bought sponge cakes with some strawberries and a heaping mound of canned whipped cream. This week I decided to put a homemade spin on it. While I love sponge cake, I wasn’t in the mood to figure out a use for all the egg yolks I’d have left over. All the jam in the house has had me in biscuit baking mode. I recently came across an excellent by Dorie Greenspan. Since her recipe makes the best buttermilk biscuit I’ve ever had, I decided to use her recipe as a springboard to make sweet cream biscuits.

First thing is the sugar needed to be increased, I upped my measurement to 3 tablespoons. Then it's goodbye buttermilk and baking soda; Hello heavy cream – it is dessert after all. Sweet cream biscuits emerged from the oven in less than 20 minutes. They would become the perfect pastry base for my confection.

I tossed the strawberries with a touch of sugar while the biscuits were baking. The whipped cream came together while they were cooling but you can make it a couple of hours ahead if you’re serving this at a dinner party. Don’t worry about the leftover biscuits—they’re delicious the next day with some butter…and strawberry jam.

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Strawberry Shortcakes

A few minutes sitting with a sprinkle of sugar draws out the strawberries natural juices. A splash of Grand Marnier while they’re macerating lends a grown-up flavor to this dessert.
Serves 4

½ teaspoon sugar
1 cup fresh strawberries, thinly sliced
4 cooled sweet cream biscuits, split in half
½ cup fresh whipped cream

1. Sprinkle sugar over strawberries in a small bowl. Let sit for at least ten minutes, and up to 30 minutes.

2. Arrange biscuit bottoms on four dessert plates or bowls. Top each biscuit piece with two tablespoons of strawberries. Spoon two tablespoons whipped cream over strawberries. Spoon two more tablespoons of strawberries over whipped cream. Place biscuit top on each shortcake. Serve immediately.

Sweet Cream Biscuits

Makes one dozen 3-inch biscuits

2 cups flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
3 tablespoons sugar
½ teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons cold butter, cut into 12 pieces
1 cup plus 1 teaspoon of heavy cream

1. Heat oven to 425ºF. Put flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse one second to combine. Add the cold butter and pulse until mixture becomes sandy, about ten 1-second pulses. Transfer to a large bowl.

2. Add cream and stir with a wooden spoon until it forms a scraggy-looking dough. Knead in bowl a few times until it comes together. Turn out onto a lightly floured counter and press into a ½-inch thick circle. Dip a 3-inch biscuit cutter into flour and cut out 12 pieces. Gently form ball and re-press scraps if necessary.

3. Place cutout biscuits onto an ungreased sheet pan and bake for 10 to 12 minutes, until golden. Serve warm with butter and jam, or let cool to assemble strawberry shortcakes.

Fresh Whipped Cream

I like my whipped cream with just a whisper of sugar, but feel free to add more to suit your sweet tooth.
Makes one generous cupful

8 ounces very cold heavy cream
1 teaspoon confectioner’s sugar

1. Pour cream into bowl of your Cuisinart Stand Mixer. Mix on high speed until it just begins to form soft peaks. Add confectioner’s sugar and continuing whipping for another 45 seconds to one minute until the peaks become a bit more firm, being careful not to over beat or it will seize. May be made up to two hours in advance and stored in a tightly covered container in the refrigerator.

11 Comments

  • Lori @ RecipeGirl

    Love the new look! Strawberries are really good right now, but does it have to be made in a “Cuisinart” stand mixer LOL?! Like the idea of the splash of Grand Marnier.

  • Jennifer

    You know I usually put a note on my original for Cuisinart recipes that you can use any stand mixer, food processor, blender, etc. I do have to say, though, that even though I freelance for Cuisinart and they generously gave me my mixer for free, it really is wonderful. I didn’t think I could use anything besides my Kitchen Aid (which I passed down to my best friend who didn’t even own a hand mixer!) after all those years but the 1000 watts of power is amazing and the beaters hit the very bottom of the bowl which my old Kitchen Aid never did—not sure if they do know.

  • Paula - bell'alimento

    Your strawberry shortcake looks delicious! I’ve been meaning to make some every time I pick up strawberries from the produce stands but they never last long enough 🙂 Your new site is beautiful! Great job!

  • SStockwell

    This is a great classic and you have a special turn on the biscuits. sweet cream? we will do this one as soon as we can locate some delicious berries. (last ones we bought were tasteless?) Thanks, s

  • dorie

    The site looks terrific! It will be fun for all of us to visit you in your new home.
    So glad you liked my biscuits enough to use them as a springboard for your delicious-looking shortcakes. Thanks.

  • Jennifer

    Thanks for all the yum words. And you should all click Megan’s name and check out her post for a great looking strawberry sorbet.